Monochrome
by Rice-Ball247
Summary: In an accident, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. Can Naruto realize that it wasn't his fault or will Sasuke's depression take him down with him? SasuNaru.
1. Shades of Grey

Monochrome 

_By Rice-Ball247  
_

_**Monochrome**: A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey.  
_

_Sinking, falling_

_Into a darker abyss than ever before_

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain_

_Of hope and of memories_

_But when that chain brakes_

_Sinking, falling_

_Into that darker abyss  
_

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I, Rice-Ball247, disclaim ownership over the copyrighted materials of Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto 2002. The characters and ideals borrowed from the anime and/or manga are being used for non-profitable purposes.

The plot belongs to me, Rice-Ball247. Any sub-stories indicated throughout the story are also part of the plot that belongs to me. Enjoy reading Monochrome!

* * *

_**Chapter 1: Shades of Grey **_

Do not speak. Do not make a sound. My ears are straining for what I want to hear. Your voice is too loud. Too loud, Naruto. Stop yelling. Che, stupid dobe. I'm getting a headache. Be quiet. Be silenced.

"SHUT UP!"

The room went deathly silent as I heard my voice echo inside the hospital ward I was in. The bed beneath me gave a slight groan as I shifted to a sitting position and tried to glare at the people in the room. Keyword, tried. The sterile bandages over my eyes were beginning to itch, so badly that I wanted to scream in annoyance. But no. Uchiha's do not act like that; I am an Uchiha. I must carry out my actions in the most graceful manner. But GOD-DAMN this thing was killing me!

"Uchiha, sit still," came the icy voice of Godaime Hokage. I was, for the first time, thankful that the bandages covered my eyes. They shielded me from the view of Konohagakure's village leader's furious face. "Naruto, go alert the nearest nurse that Uchiha Sasuke's bandages need to be changed. Now."

"H-hai," Naruto stammered as he ran out of the room, that loud 'thud', no doubt, being his chair that he had knocked over in the frenzy. I didn't know who exactly was in the room. But I did know that the Hokage and my ex-team were currently here. The apprentice medic-nin, Haruno Sakura a.k.a Team 7's kunoichi , who is currently studying under the Hokage, my ex-sensei, Hatake Kakashi, the infamous copy-nin and one of the three surviving people in the world to utilize the Sharingan eye (and the only one who wasn't an Uchiha) and last, but not least, my other team mate, Team 7's weakness and the number one surprise ninja, Uzumaki Naruto. I felt a warmth on my shoulder, and realized that the offending hand, did indeed, belong to a certain rose-haired kunoichi of Team 7.

"Sasuke," she murmured, her head resting lightly atop my head. On a regular basis, the girl would attach herself to my arm and make her presence known. It had been annoying, most of the time. Most of the time, I would scowl and try to shake her off.

But this time it was different. It was comforting. Comforting that she held me like this, a guide in my current state of darkness. A soothing hand brushed gently over my head and settled on my cheek.

"Oh Sasuke. If only I had taken more precautions. If only I had-"

"Enough," I cut her off, feeling the guilt begin to eat away at my insides again. I did not care for her in any way more than the friend that she had built herself to be. But that did not mean that I did not care for her at all. She mustn't blame herself for something that was not her fault.

"I'm the only one to blame here," I added, feeling the stares of all eyes on me. The hair on the back of my neck stood on end.

"Teme," I heard a bitter voice spit out the affectionate nickname that a certain blond haired male had bestowed upon me. I pulled away from Sakura's warmth and turned my head in the direction which I had heard the voice.

Naruto. The bastard. The monster. The weakling.

I could go on. But all in all, those three basically summed up what he had portrayed himself towards me. However, there was more.

Naruto. The courageous. The caring. The strength.

I could say more about him. Naruto, a living, breathing walking contradiction.

"Alright. Could all people in the room please leave?" the nurse asked kindly. "Hokage-sama, your assistance is required with a certain…problem."

My heartbeat quickened when I heard the scraping of numerous chairs against the hospital floor. So there were more people here. More people who, no doubt, had come to leer at me, eighteen-year-old Uchiha Sasuke, ANBU captain of Konoha and the world's biggest fool.

Who was I to joke? Who was I to kid?

I'm the biggest idiot, the biggest git of all. And all because of one stupid, one FUCKING mistake, which had nearly cost me my life, but had definitely cost me something of much more worth.

_Normal POV_

Naruto was not able to cease his pacing outside of Uchiha Sasuke's ward. To and fro, he scuffled the floors until black prints were inscribed on the plastic-like surface. The remaining members of their small group waited in either the waiting room or the cafeteria. It was already nearing nine in the evening, and visiting hours were already long overdue. However, due to the word of the Hokage herself, she had allowed the few select people, including the Rookie 9 and fellow teachers, to remain in the hospital with her and the raven-haired patient.

Naruto paused a moment to stare at the ivory coloured door before a cough brought him out of his trance and he, once again, resumed the maiming of the hospital floor.

"Naruto, you're making me feel nauseous. Cease movement at once," Hyuuga Neji, a nineteen-year-old jounin, spat out to him. Naruto turned burning blue eyes towards said man before scoffing and resuming his march again, without regards to his companions in the corridor. Neji and Naruto both took it upon themselves to wait in the corridor outside Sasuke's ward, in case of the event of them being needed, or the Hokage calling them or…oh screw it. Naruto was just downright worried about Sasuke, although he hated the bastard, and Neji…well, Neji had no excuse to be waiting for Sasuke. He, like Naruto, hated the other man with a vengeance. Truth be told, Neji was worried about Naruto. Ever since the Hokage had allowed them to wait in the hospital until midnight or so, he had noticed the visible recline in the kitsune's health.

For one, his skin was no longer baby smooth and tanned, but rather pale and pasty looking. His cheeks were blotchy, as if he had been crying and his eyes too, were red and puffy looking. His hair was not sleek and shiny, but dull and matted. Deep bags rested under his blank cerulean eyes. No doubt, the marks of a true shinobi revealed themselves in the tiredness that took over Naruto.

After a moment of silence, there was a soft muffle of voices and the door to Sasuke's room opened slightly. The Hokage sent a grim smile inside the room before softly shutting the door to a tight close behind her. She looked up in surprise to see both Naruto and Neji standing outside the room, their backs to the windows and staring at her expectantly.

"C-can you tell us what is wrong with him?" Naruto croaked out, fresh tears welling in his already dried out eyes. Neji sent the wayward boy a searing glance before turning to the Hokage with a slightly damaged composure and held his head up high.

"Yes, Godaime-sama. It would be appreciated."

Tsuande, the blonde-haired, busty woman, well into her fifties, sighed as she nodded and motioned for the two to follow her to the waiting room. She sent a nurse nearby to collect the people in the cafeteria to report immediately to the temporary meeting room. Once everyone was seated in the plushy, plastic blue seats, she cleared her throat and began.

"I'm sure you would…all like to know the condition which Uchiha Sasuke is in, and the severity of the matter," she started, cautiously watching where she said her words. The girls, Ino, Sakura, TenTen and Hinata, all leaned forwards with worry. They, being the females, felt a feeling of sympathy towards the Uchiha and all four were bitten down with worry. The males, however laid back they may have seemed, were just as stressed as their female counterparts.

"Due to an over-usage of his Sharingan, Sasuke has involuntarily worn out the nerves of his eyes. The central nerve has been damaged, as have the optic nerve and surrounding areas. He should be blind, but fortunately, the power of the Sharingan, as well as Sasuke's chakra, has saved him. The problem is that he now suffers from a condition which we call 'monochrome'."

Sakura, being a medic-nin, let out a tell-tale gasp as tears of disbelief filled her emerald eyes and a look of horror flitted across her face.

"N-no! B-but that can't! Please tell me it's temporary!" she cried, her breathing now sporadically paced. The others gave her incredulous looks and Naruto reached out to pat her on the shoulder, only to be pushed away. Hurt, the blond glanced at the Hokage, expecting a description on the 'monochrome' condition.

"What is monochrome?" Kiba asked, stating the question which had been on everyone's (well, nearly everyone's) minds.

Tsunade sighed. "Monochrome is a condition of colour-blindness, when the only colours that are able to be seen, are only shades of grey. Sasuke wont be able to see red, green, blue, yellow, pink or orange for that matter. Nothing. He won't be able to tell green from red, or orange from pink. He can't see brown or purple, not a single colour, but only the shades."

"How horrible," Hinata murmured, a small hand clutching the cream-coloured vest she wore. Kiba put a comforting arm around her shoulder from her right, while Shino gently patted her leg. Ino sat between her team-mates, staring at the white floor in despair. TenTen stood beside Rock Lee, who had his head in his hands, also staring at the floor. The teachers, Kakashi, Iruka, Gai, Asuma and Kurenai stood to one side, gazing at the scene before them in perfect silence, each pondering their own thoughts about the matter. Neji stood next to a saddened Naruto, who was quickly transforming his expression into a look of anger.

"That fucking bastard. What the hell did have to go do that for?"

A glare from his team mate silenced him, but he turned his head away to glare at the wall instead. "I hate him. Me and Sakura didn't need saving. We were-"

"We were in the middle of a life or death situation, Naruto! If Sasuke hadn't come…if Sasuke hadn't…come, we wouldn't be here right now!"

"If Sasuke hadn't come, I would have gotten you out of there and sacrificed myself! At least I know I wouldn't be missed!" Naruto retorted angrily, a snarl sent in the direction of the bubblegum haired girl. Bristled, Sakura stood up, extended her hand and slapped Naruto squarely across his face.

"Don't you DARE say that, Naruto! If either you or Sasuke had died, I don't know what I would have done! I love you both so much that it hurts to even THINK for one second, that both of you might have died!"

The anger that had welled up inside of Naruto finally burst and erupted with such frustration, such fury, that even a startled Tsunade had to pull a frightened Sakura back.

"AND YOU THINK I DON'T CARE? You're always worrying about Sasuke, ever since we were little you've been like that. Why do you think I was prepared to sacrifice my life for your sake, and for Sasuke's too? So that you would both be happy! But no! The idiot just HAD to play the role of hero again, didn't he? The bastard…"

Naruto had exploded and finally he settled down, his breathing once frantic, now calm.

"I didn't ask to be saved. I didn't want to be saved. His act was just a waste."

"Our lives were saved, baka!" Sakura screeched again, hand rearing back for another blow. Luckily, Kakashi and Tsunade both stepped in, the former holding Naruto back whilst the latter had grabbed Sakura around the waist and pulled her away.

"Lemmie go! That idiot should be hit!"

Sure enough, Kakashi gave Naruto a soft bop on the head with his bright orange book, before taking the kyuubi container by the arm and nodding towards everyone else.

"Please send my regards and condolences to Sasuke, should he awaken again while we're away. Iruka, Naruto and I should take our leave," Kakashi declared, loud enough for people in the waiting room to hear. Naruto carried a bitter look on his face as Kakashi steered him away from everyone else with Iruka trailing slowly behind them. At last, just as they reached the doors, Naruto turned to them all and gave a short and curt bow.

"I'll return again tomorrow, if possible, to check on the bastard's progress. But that's it. All he's done is made me feel indebted to him."

As he left with his two teachers, a hot, wet trail of a single tear left his eye. It was all that bastard's fault. But then, why did he feel as if he was the one to blame for all this?

* * *

So there's chapter 1 up! I want to continue this, but there really is no point if no one reviews. So to make sure that I'm at a good milestone, 10 reviews would be appreciated in order to post the next chapter up, a'ite?

Wow...this one wiped me out, sorta. I had to study the monochrome condition but I'm kinda feeling dizzy from my last research assignment. So please, to any smart/doctorish people out there, I apologize towards any ignorance towards the topic. This fanfiction was made for enjoyment purposes only and NOT to offend anyone, should they have the monochrome condition, or know anyone suffering from it! Thank you!

Rice-Ball247


	2. White Soul

**_Monochrome _**

_By Rice-Ball247 _

_Monochrome: A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey. _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into a darker abyss than ever before _

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain _

_Of hope and of memories _

_But when that chain brakes _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into that darker abyss_

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Short, sweet and witty, if you look underneath the underneath ;)

* * *

**_Chapter 2: White Soul_**

Naruto woke up feeling slightly better the next day. The hot, sweltering sun cast its warm, orangey glow down upon Naruto's blond hair and he sat staring at his colourful room with a hint of disdain. Imagine not being able to see all this…truly, colours were taken for granted.

He got out of his bed, grudgingly, and stared at the dishevelled reflection in the full-length mirror.

"I look like shit…"

"You smell like it too," came a slightly mocking voice from behind him. Naruto whirled around in shock when he saw a shock of bright red hair and turquoise eyes piercing his own. The famous brown gourd of sand that was usually strapped to his back made sure that this man was not fake, indeed. It was becoming more and more difficult to trust people these days. It was almost impossible to gain a person's trust, yet extremely simple to lose it.

"Gaara!" Naruto cried, jumping into the open arms of his favourite friend. Sabaku no Gaara was now the Kazekage of his land, Sunagakure, and a powerful man at that. Warm arms enfolded around Naruto's slender body and pulled the other man towards his torso.

"This is so unmanly," Naruto stated, as he looked up into Gaara's intense eyes. A small smirk played out on Gaara's pinkish lips before he bent his head and tucked it into the crook of Naruto's neck.

"I missed you. Greatly."

Gaara was a man of few words. It was obvious to see.

"Aah. Me too, Gaara."

"About Sasuke…I heard."

"Is that why you came?" Naruto pulled back slightly, his hands resting lightly on the red-head's well-sculpted chest. Gaara paused for a moment before shaking his head.

"No. Not only that. I told you, I miss you."

"That's good to hear. After my shower and breakfast, I'm going down to see Sasuke at the hospital. Are you coming?"

"With you to the shower?" Gaara asked cheekily, a smirk on his lips. Naruto answered, without missing a beat.

"Of course."

"Am I interrupting something?" a voice from the doorway caused Naruto and Gaara to pull away from each other. Gaara's older brother, Kankuro, stood there with a goofy grin on his face.

"Idiot. You know me and Naruto are just fooling around. Ne, Naru-chan?"

"Of course, Gaa-chan," Naruto staged a giggle, sending a flirtatious wink towards both boys before reaching for the towel hooked behind his door and walking out towards the bathroom. "Now if you'll excuse me, there's a shower I need to take. Alone."

He listened to the brothers snicker before he rolled his eyes and shut the bathroom door to a lock behind him.

After his shower and an entertaining breakfast which involved Naruto and Gaara eating with the same utensils, Kankuro stealing one of Gaara's strawberries, Temari wolfing down a bowl of cereal and Kakashi and Iruka calmly eating eggs and bacon together, Naruto and his friend finally left for the hospital. Upon their arrival, Gaara was bombarded with warm and friendly greetings by friends, patients and staff members. No longer was he feared because of his dangerous look, but loved for that simple smile that calmed people around him. Yes, Sabaku no Gaara could smile and was good at it because he did it often enough for his own good.

In the corridor outside Sasuke's room, Naruto and Gaara ran into Sakura. The pink haired girl nodded in Gaara's direction before facing Naruto. Suddenly, she embraced him tightly and apologized over and over again for her behaviour last night. Naruto's expression softened and he placed a gentle kiss on Sakura's forehead before smiling and entering Sasuke's ward with Gaara behind him.

The room was dark and cold, all windows had been drawn closed, save for one which was beside Sasuke's head. It provided little light, since the curtains had been drawn around them, filtering only a sliver of sunshine through.

Sasuke lay on his bed, propped up on a mound of pillows to support his back. Upon hearing Naruto and someone else enter the room, he turned his head soundlessly towards the door. A look of shock crossed over his face. No, not because of Gaara, however. He felt a horrible pang build up in his chest and his eyes squinted because of an unexpected incoming flood of tears. His tear ducts had been acting up since the examination last night, so that had to be it.

But he knew it wasn't. For when he looked into Naruto's beautiful blue eyes, eyes which brought him assurance and comfort, he only found a sea of endless black, obsidian like his own, obsidian like his sky.

* * *

_Naruto's POV_

When I had entered the room, I felt my heart turn to lead and begin to sink to the bottom of my stomach. Pale, alabaster-skinned Sasuke, ever so thin and effeminate. He looked so uncharacteristically…weak. No. Weak and Sasuke could NOT be fit into the same sentence, unless it was 'Sasuke is NOT weak', or 'so and so is weak, but Sasuke isn't.'

However, there had to be some sort of first for everything and as I sat down on the chair beside Sasuke's bed, I was greeted with a cold silence.

"O-ohayo, Sasuke."

There was no reply from the young man. There was no reply from him at all. Not even the usual grunt or a soft, barely audible 'hnn'. I huffed slightly and reached out to grab Sasuke's arm when another pale, but slightly tan arm took hold of my wrist. Gaara.

He sent me a look, as if to say, 'Are you sure that both you and he want to talk about something?'

Don't ask me why I felt he was thinking that and sending me telepathic messages like that. It was just all too weird, that's all. I mean, as a ninja, I should be able to take all these things into consideration without the worst of reactions. But…still, I couldn't help but feel really miffed that Sasuke had chosen to ignore me instead.

Gaara finally let go of my arm when I nodded to him and I retracted my own arm to myself.

"Sasuke, please speak to me," I begged him softly. This was ridiculous. Trying to be nice to the bastard obviously wasn't going to be of any help whatsoever.

"Onegai…" I murmured once again, letting my hand touch his pale one gently. He twitched slightly but I watched as his face contorted with some form of anger or pain and he turned away again.

That was it.

"You fucking bastard! Do you have any idea how hard it is for me to be so nice to you like this? I'm just giving up now. But I'm not giving up on you! I never have and never will, do you hear Sasuke? I'm going to put up with you right to the end."

Finally, a reaction rose from the stoic boy and he gave me a look that said 'Freak.' He raised an eyebrow before he finally spoke.

"Don't look at me like that. Don't look at me at all. Turn your eyes away. They are no longer blue."

I wanted to yell at him, WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON THROUGH THAT HEAD OF YOURS?

Then I remembered. Sasuke couldn't see a thing in colour. His world was black, grey and white. His green grass was grey, his orange sun was white and his blue skies were…

"Black. Your eyes are black. I don't like them. The darkness…it's so overwhelming."

His blue skies were black. My eyes were black. Just the same old evil darkness to him. I wasn't worth looking at him. It would only serve to hack at what was left of our fragile relationship. My eyes scared him.

Scared Uchiha Sasuke.

There must have been something wrong with that. Most definitely. But why do black skies scare him so much, if this was the life, the world that Sasuke wants? He doesn't share much of an appreciation for colours and is only partial to navy blue. Black was his thing.

Black comforted him. So if his world was darkness…

Wouldn't that make Uchiha Sasuke happy?

* * *

_Normal POV_

An awkward silence hung in the room after that statement which Sasuke had just made. Naruto turned his eyes away from the other man and met Gaara's intense gaze equally.

Gaara, for once, to shock, broke the fragile silence.

"So, what did you eat for breakfast?" the casual question caused Sasuke to look up at him blankly and twitch slightly.

"How was I able to eat? I can't trust grey orange juice, nor grey parsley with grey steak. It makes everything seem stale and so I lost my appetite."

A loud growl resounded throughout the room.

"Though, I'm still hungry," Sasuke hurriedly added that final line before turning back to the window which had previously occupied his attentions. "Naruto, go get me something to eat. And for the love of God, if it's ramen, you will die."

Naruto huffed angrily but obliged, for the sake of the man laying in the hospital bed. He knew that if Sasuke was like this, he should at least try to ease him into his newfound world. A world that he didn't want. Naruto shut his eyes to block out the oncoming wave of tears that threatened to spill from their ducts. It just wasn't fair. If only he hadn't tried to rescue them, then Naruto would have been a hero and sacrificed his own life. No. If only they hadn't accepted the mission. It had been foolish in the first place, to retrieve something of great importance from someone so dangerous.

If only Sasuke hadn't come. If only Sasuke wasn't an ANBU captain, making it his duty to come. If only, if ONLY! Naruto tried to stop moping around. It wasn't helping the situation any more than it was worsening it. He walked silently to the cafeteria and ordered for a breakfast set of bonito onigiri. Bonito riceballs were Sasuke's favourite, he had come to learn, although he wasn't as obsessed with his choice of food than Naruto was with ramen. He moved unusually silent through the endless white hallways, carefully balancing a plastic grey tray containing a covered platter of the onigiri and a glass bottle of orange juice. A small tub of flavourless yoghurt sat in the tiny compartment, beside a clear plastic bag containing eating utensils and a serviette.

Naruto pushed the door open with a slight frown on his face as he saw his friend, Gaara, recline back into his seat. He had previously been leaning over, obviously in deep conversation with Sasuke, who still remained facing the closed window. He must have shut it whilst Naruto was away. Naruto's frown deepened. Obviously, their topic of conversation could not, and would not, be discussed with him, or in front of him for that matter.

"I brought you bonito onigiri, orange juice and plain yoghurt, teme," Naruto grumbled, settling the tray down on the beside table next to Sasuke's head. The raven haired man spared the food a glance before fixating his gaze on Naruto's face, tactically avoiding his eyes. He settled for Naruto's mouth.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

An awkward silence echoed around the room, making the back of Naruto's neck tingle and burn. He rubbed the back of his head with his hands and sat down on the seat, watching as Sasuke unwrapped the onigiri and took a timid bite.

"This tastes horrible."

"It's all they've got to offer," Naruto answered defensively. "You'd hate everything else on the menu."

"…very well," Sasuke sighed as he continued eating. Naruto averted his attention from his eating…friend to his best friend Gaara.

"Ne, Gaa-chan, what brings you to Konoha?"

Gaara paused for a moment, as he studied the wall above Sasuke's head, before giving Naruto a careful reply.

"I'll explain in full, then, I guess. I have been missing you greatly, these past few weeks. Chiyo-baa-sama met with me, probably around last Wednesday, to tell me about the Shukaku demon sealed inside me. Of course, she acknowledged the fact that I knew, but she wanted to inform me that by now, the seal should have been weakened considerably, since I have already come of age. She told me that I should come to Konoha, to ask you about Kyuubi, and how you've been handling your situation."

Naruto nodded, his hand instinctively crossing over to rest on his well-toned stomach.

"But," Gaara continued, "I found it odd if I were to just show up and ask you questions out of the blue. Even I felt uncomfortable, since…well, I'll tell you later."

At this, Gaara shifted turquoise eyes in Sasuke's direction, who continued to eat his onigiri in ignorant silence. He failed to notice that the topic could only be discussed between Gaara and Naruto alone.

"Anyway, when I heard of the accident involving Uchiha, which of course, involved you as well, I came over as soon as possible. This happened two days ago, correct?" Gaara asked. The accident occurred on Saturday evening, and Sasuke had been recovering from the fatal attack in the hospital since then. Currently, it was Monday morning, where Gaara and Naruto found themselves in the hospital talking with Sasuke.

Naruto gave a quiet nod in response to Gaara's question. Gaara let out a small sigh as he turned to see Sasuke swallowing the last of his riceballs and start on his bitter yoghurt. Naruto knew him all to well. Sasuke hated sweet foods.

"Will you be alright by yourself?" Naruto asked Sasuke. There was another pregnant pause in the room, before Sasuke looked up, realizing that it was he who was being addressed. He waved Naruto off quietly, muttering something along the lines of 'I've got too many visitors to be alone' under his breath.

Naruto gave him a weak smile before grabbing Gaara's hand and waving goodbye to Sasuke. He left the room, finally releasing Gaara's hand as he walked and passed the Hokage with a short bow.

Sasuke stared at the newly closed door in muteness. The bitter yoghurt in his mouth reflected the bitterness in his heart. He hadn't wanted Naruto to leave. He had waited, hoping that Gaara would leave them and give them a moment alone. No, it wasn't that he liked Naruto, heaven forbid. But…there was something about the other boy that brought a strange sense of calm over his frantic soul. He pulled the window open as he looked outside at the obsidian sky, just like his eyes.

A gentle breeze blew. Sasuke sighed.

* * *

Mou...this chapter was so depressing to write...and I'm betting it's gonna get worse. How do I put it? I was reading a manga, called Love Scar (curtsey of Stop Tazmo (DOT) com) and since manga is usually in black, white and grey tones, I got a bit of a push to write Monochrome. The plot is starting to form, just give me a few chapters more. And reviews! Let's try for 10 more, ne? (omg, that sounds so weird...)

Special thanks to the 10! that reviewed!

**TheDeviant, Lost Ninja # 1, Optimistic-Pessimist, Lime Green Bean, Kenzan, Dead Edged Blade, SpottedShadow2947, LunyMoony, HunniccHi and Kay!**

The reviewers are my special people on ff.n! Kudos to my special people!! eya...10 more reviews means chapter 3. Go on :P


	3. Black Heart Kuroi Kokoro

Monochrome 

_By Rice-Ball247 _

_**Monochrome**: A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey. _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into a darker abyss than ever before _

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain _

_Of hope and of memories _

_But when that chain brakes _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into that darker abyss _

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Short, sweet and witty, if you look underneath the underneath ;)

* * *

_**Chapter 3: Black Heart - Kuroi Kokoro**_

Naruto treated Gaara to a lunch of ramen, later on that afternoon. His favourite stall, Ichiraku's, gave them a free meal, for three reasons. First, Naruto was their numero uno customer. Second, he had the Kazekage with him. Third, the old man and Ayame pitied the poor boy and what had happened to Uchiha Sasuke. News about the mission, which had barely been a success, skimming quite close to a failure, had spread about Konoha like a wildfire gone out of control.

Of course, with the news came opinions of the mission and over exaggerated rumours. One rumour, of course, jilted the truth so much that it seemed that Naruto was the bad guy and not-

"Naruto! Earth to Naruto! God damn it!" Gaara grumbled as he pinched Naruto with the end of his wooden chopsticks. Naruto yelped, snapping out of his reverie as he glared at Gaara.

"Bitch," Naruto grumbled, resuming his eating march on his ramen meal. Gaara caught himself before he could chuckle. Smiling was one thing, laughing nicely was another.

"Au contraire, Naru-chan. You've been having mood swings all morning and afternoon. Is something bothering you?" Gaara asked innocently. Something was definitely up his sleeve.

Naruto paused a moment before his cheeks flushed red and he gulped down the remainder of his eighth bowl of ramen. He quickly paid, causing Gaara to speedily finish his off as well and pay.

Gaara caught up to Naruto, whose face was now a brilliant shade of bright red. Gaara felt a smirk on his lips as he grabbed Naruto's arm and forced him into the nearest alley.

"Naru-chan? Is there…a problem?" he asked slyly, pushing his knee between Naruto's legs. Naruto's face reddened, letting out a short gasp as he felt Gaara's leg pressing against him. He was now balanced on Gaara's knee, the red head's torso forced lavishly over Naruto. Naruto screwed his blue eyes shut tightly as he felt the pressure being applied to his body. Especially in _that_ place…

"Gaa…" he whispered as Gaara's slender fingers traced a fresh line along his waist. "Hngh…not here…nn..aaahhhh…"

It was so erotic, watching Naruto getting so aroused and hot with just the simplest of movements. Gaara smirked again as he removed himself from the hardened and panting Naruto.

"Let's discuss this in your house," Gaara told him solemnly, turquoise pupils boring into sapphire. "This is EXACTLY what Chiyo-baa-sama was talking to me about."

Naruto took a full minute to calm down his disposition, yet his racing heart would not listen to his mind. Gaara gave him a once over, before leaning in and licking the side of his cheek dutifully.

"You were sweaty."

"Eww…" Naruto grumbled, wiping his reddened cheek with a mixture of disgust, surprise and gusto. The two arrived at Naruto's household in silence. It was a vast house, with two storeys above the ground and a single storey below, all accounting to a three-storey house. The three of them, Hatake Kakashi and his partner Umino Iruka, plus their adopted son, Uzumaki Naruto, resided in the house, all too big for the three of them. Of course, Kakashi and Iruka had yet to seal the knot. When gay marriages became legal, of course. Because the house was so enormous (imagine how Uchiha Sasuke felt living in the complex alone), there was more than enough room for Gaara and his siblings to stay over on more than one occasion.

"Tadaima," both Naruto and Gaara declared once entering the house. They both took of their shoes and headed straight for Naruto's bedroom.

"Are you boys going to have lunch now?" Temari asked, appearing on the first landing. Naruto's bedroom was upstairs, whilst both Kakashi and Iruka slept downstairs, together, of course. Now, there was a reason for this, no doubt. Kakashi had reasoned with Iruka that whilst in the midst of their love-making, Iruka would cry out so loudly that it would disturb the neighbours.

"Oh you are so considerate," Iruka bit out sarcastically as he sighed and accepted the reasoning behind this. Kakashi, of course, was jumping with glee. Now Iruka could be as loud as he wanted. They were underground and Naruto was two-storeys above, on the top floor.

"Iie, onee-chan," Naruto responded on the dot. He smiled at her as he opened his door and let Gaara inside first. "We've already eaten."

"Oh, okay. In that case, you and Gaara are home alone. Kakashi and Iruka still have work and wont be back until late. Both me and Kankuro are gonna have lunch and then go shopping around Konoha. We haven't been here in ages!"

"Alright," Naruto chuckled, waving her off. "I'll treat you to an onsen next time!"

Temari's usually scowling face lit up with glee and she smiled, holding Naruto to his word as she left, dragging a reluctant, but hungry Kankuro out of the house.

"So, now that we're home alone," Naruto began, sitting himself on his plushy bed, "You can tell me everything that you need to tell me without hesitation. And no foul play."

Gaara's face fell, covered with an adorable pout that only looked cute on him, a.k.a a cold-blooded killer.

"Yet," Naruto added with a grin. Gaara smirked as he looked up to the ceiling, stroking his chin in thought.

"Where to start…?"

"How 'bout you tell me what Chiyo told you?"

"Oh…that. Well, she told me that since we've come of age, we should be able to look after ourselves so the seal on the youkai have been weakened. But because of this, both Shukaku and Kyuubi have free reign over a certain length of frivolous and fervent periods," Gaara explained the parts involving the seals in short.

Naruto sat on his bed, still pondering over the words that Gaara had used.

"I still don't get it…" he mumbled, giving Gaara a light glare. Gaara sighed as she plopped himself down beside Naruto and leaned into the other boy's shoulder.

"It means, Shukaku and Kyuubi are strongest during periods of passionate playtime."

Naruto still didn't understand, a look of puzzlement crossing his face. He scratched the tip of his nose and then shrugged, trying to look at Gaara out of the corner of his eye.

"I don't get it, still."

Gaara sighed and pulled away, pinching the bridge of his nose. All of a sudden, his face lit up and he gave Naruto a strange kind of smirk before leaning in once again and positioning his face close to Naruto's ear.

"It means that Shukaku and Kyuubi are going to be in mating season for a while."

Naruto shuddered as Gaara's hot breath warmed over his skin. He shivered before Gaara pulled away again, an expression of pain replacing the once stoic face.

"It really is troublesome. Right now, I'm having to resist pinning you down and fucking you right here, right now. I know, you and I don't share that mutual, passionate love for each other and so doing this might damage our friendship," Gaara declared boldly. Naruto flushed at the mental image that Gaara was giving him.

"B-but why does my body f-feel so weird when you do that?" Naruto stammered, feeling his stomach flip again, upside down, side to side.

"Kyuubi is in heat, I'm afraid. And it's at the worst possible time too. While Sasuke is in hospital, you're in heat! I can't believe it."

Naruto gave Gaara a look of disgust before stopping himself and turning back to his friend once again.

"Wait…you don't mean that Sasuke is the best candidate for a mate, do you?"

Gaara smirked.

"You know, for a dense and downright clueless guy, you catch on pretty fast when it involves Sasuke somewhere," Gaara teased, leaning back onto his elbows. Naruto flushed and pushed Gaara slightly.

"Shaddap you! Bastard," Naruto growled at him. A moment passed between the two, Naruto staring at Gaara and vise versa. Suddenly, Naruto didn't know what took over him.

"Shukaku," Naruto bit out in a voice much deeper than his own. Gaara's eyes widened a fraction before that familiar smirk replaced his lips again.

"Kyuubi," Gaara acknowledged before Kyuubi-Naruto pounced on him. Violet eyes, a mixed sign of Naruto receding and Kyuubi proceeding, stared down at bottle green orbs.

"My friend, how are you?" Naruto asked Gaara, settling rather comfortably on Gaara's waist. The latter pushed himself up onto his elbows once again, staring at the demon on his torso.

"I could be better. Have you gained weight?" Gaara asked him smugly, bucking upwards towards Kyuubi. The eyes, traversing from blue to violet, were now a blood red.

"No, but you're starting to make me horny. Don't tell me you want to go at it again," Kyuubi muttered to Shukaku, his lips hovering dangerously close to the latter's. Shukaku grinned, baring elongated fangs.

"Dear friend, how could you tell?"

Kyuubi raised an eyebrow and made a point in staring down at the bulge that was screaming to be released on his container.

"Oh please, Shukaku. Could you be any more obvious?" Kyuubi snorted. He, being the mischievous one, foolishly decided to grind down on the other's member, forcing his own to come to life. A brilliant flush covered the cheeks of both men as Kyuubi-Naruto leaned down to cover the lips of Shukaku-Gaara. The familiar taste was welcoming. No, it was amazing as well. Warm, wet muscle battled another as Shukaku pushed forward for dominance whilst Kyuubi pressed down to keep his title. Throbbing, aching members were still restrained. Both demons knew that they could not progress any further than this. Perhaps a bit more, but too much and well…both of their containers were still virgins.

At this, Kyuubi felt Naruto battling inside him to return to the dominant side and he surrendered to his container, finally letting the boy back. Gaara too, returned. However, both boys returned in the midst of the passionate lip lock, causing Naruto to collapse atop Gaara in shock.

"What the…oh fuck! Not again!" Naruto sighed as he stared down at his hardened erection. This wasn't helping. Gaara too, was as hard as a rock. Gaara gave him a hazy sort of smile before reaching forwards and gently stroking Naruto calmly.

"W-what the fuck are you doing, Gaara?" Naruto screamed, closing his thighs in on Gaara's hand. Of course, the other boy did not move. Gaara gave him a knowing look and Naruto swallowed hard before opening his legs to his friend again.

"I hate it when they do that. They get us in the weirdest positions," Naruto sniffled as Gaara removed their pants. They both had huge problems that they needed to be rid of. Gaara's warm hands descended on Naruto's length and the other boy arched into his touch, panting at the contact.

"F-fuck…" he groaned as Gaara pressed forwards. Teenage experimentation. The fact that they had two horny demons sealed within them only caused to propel their desire. The fact that these two horny demons were gay with each other didn't help the matter though. As far as Naruto knew, he was straight and Gaara, well…he was pretty sure that Gaara had to at least be bisexual. But he didn't show any interest toward Naruto that way at all.

A slick stroke over the tip caused Naruto to let out another deep groan, this time shakily reaching out to grasp Gaara's. He clumsily pumped the hardened manhood in his hand, alternating between using his entire hand and then using feather light strokes. Either way, he knew it drove Gaara insane.

"T-this isn't s-so bad," Naruto gasped as Gaara pulled away from him. He closed his eyes, panting as he rested his head against the foot of his bed. Then it happened. A generous warmth engulfed him and Naruto threw his head back against the wooden post in a surprised ecstasy. "FUCK!"

Gaara ignored the tight thighs which had tightened firmly around his torso, forcing his body closer to Naruto. He gave a generous slurp to Naruto's hot shaft, licking and nibbling on the tip before running his tongue along the edge. His teeth grazed the firm organ, slowly, sensuously, bringing it into his mouth again. His fingers, long, slender and lithe, ghosted over the remaining skin, as if he were playing a flute. Naruto shuddered as Gaara sucked painfully hard before using his skilful tongue to sooth the stinging sensation where the skin was sucked raw. The red-head gently blew on the tip, watching in amusement as it hardened once again, the skin stretching interestingly. Naruto groaned heavily, trying his hardest not to release. But everything that Gaara did seemed to pull him in the one available direction. Gaara kissed the tip gently once more before bringing the entire organ into his mouth, suckling again. Naruto, seeing nothing but stars and hazy skies, bucked his length rather cheerily into Gaara's mouth, finally reaching his peak. He orgasmed into Gaara's awaiting mouth, the red-head's tongue greedily lapping up the cum which had spilt onto his face, chest and stomach. Naruto, of course, had to return the favour.

* * *

_Sasuke's POV_

The darkness brought only the slightest of comfort to me. There was so much that it was overwhelming, yet…it was something that I had loved. It brought enough comfort to me to think that the black sky and the white sun very much resembled the night sky. The night sky was something that I enjoyed watching every once in a while, especially when I cannot sleep.

A soft knock sounded on the door and I told the person on the other side to come in. Tsunade-sama and Sakura entered the ward and took their seats beside my bed.

"How are you feeling physically today, Sasuke?" Tsunade asked me, gesturing to my body. Having returned from a mission bordering on success and failure, but leaning more to the former, it was inevitable that the wounds inflicted on our squad was great. I told her that my recovery progression was slow but steady.

"I'm still searching for a way to operate on your eyes without causing you to go blind. The Sharingan is powerful yet very sensitive, so one wrong move could either make you go completely blind or lose the Sharingan forever."

At this, I winced. The Sharingan is my family's bloodline limit. My kekkei genkai was very important to Konoha. The Sharingan eye is one of the most sought after dojutsu's ever, standing with equal importance to the Hyuuga's Byakugan.

I can't just lose it like this.

"An operation will not be necessary, Hokage-sama. I'm pretty sure that I can live it out," I told her icily. Both she and her subordinate winced.

"At least consider the option Sasuke," she began before her pager beeped. She sighed and grumbled before nodding at both Sakura and I and leaving the ward.

Sakura stared at me expectantly and I rolled my eyes, turning to face the window again.

"Are you sure that you're alright, Sasuke-kun?"

"Yes."

"Positive?"

'No.'

"Yes," I forced out, hoping that my voice sounded threatening enough to scare her away. Right now I felt tired, too tired to deal with people and the mental strain. But I also felt the itching need to train. Sakura had better be careful. If she keeps pushing it like this, I might have to use her head for target practice. The pink haired girl let out a soft sigh before she began to speak again.

"I've come to realize, over time that perhaps pursuing you like this wasn't going to work on you, Sasuke-kun," she started, sounding slightly hesitant. I strained to hear what she was saying, because my body was starting to ache. My eyes were starting to dry up and itch so badly that I knew that if I were to rub at them, they would become red. Hah, who am I to know red? Red was something of the past. Yet…

As I closed my eyes, I could picture my world again, in colour. Green grass underfoot, a bright, orangey-yellow sun beating down on my pale, alabaster skin and the cerulean sky overhead. The sky which was just like Naruto's eyes.

"I've liked you all this time."

I paused a moment, wondering how I could answer her. I had to answer her. She deserved an answer. For everything she's tried to do for me, I couldn't just break her heart like this, so freely, so easily. I, of all people, should know what unrequited love is.

"Sakura," I bit out, my voice hoarse from keeping to one-word sentences. "I'm sorry."

I couldn't look her in the eye. I didn't want to. But I knew it would be unfair, if I didn't. At least, this way, I could show her sincerity. Slowly, I grimaced as I felt my body protest in pain, the newly sealed wounds beginning to ache and ripple all over. I stared, deep into Sakura's gray eyes. Her eyes, if I could recall, were emerald green. It reminded me of the grass outside, of beautiful, sparking gems. But something, I don't know what it was, didn't allow me to feel that mutual attraction that she had for me.

"I understand."

Tears welled up in those bright, gray eyes. She lifted a hand and gingerly wiped away the collection of tears from her eyes. Nodding her head, she stood up, leaning over, she placed a gentle kiss on my cheek. I winced as I felt her lips touch my skin, but it was comforting. She was Haruno Sakura. One of my…best friends.

"Well, I had better go now. I promised Ino and her mom that I would help out at her store. I'll be back to help Tsunade-sama in the hospital, Sasuke-kun."

I nodded weakly at her, my lips etched in a grim line. She sighed again, before waving goodbye and murmuring a soft 'See you later, rest up', before leaving with the door shut behind her.

Once again, the room was empty. Leaving me alone, in the cold, dark room. Outside, the skies were black. Inside the room, it was so dark without the lights on. Darkness was my world. Darkness was my heart.

Black was my heart.

* * *

Ah! This is such a weird chapter...unedited, unbeta-ed (I don't have one... ToT, so if you see any mistakes, blame me, the author/beta) nuuuuuhhhh... well...I wasn't exactly planning to POST this, like really, today. I was gonna hold it off for a week, but seeing 14 new reviews in less than one day made my heart leap to my throat. Like before, I want to thank my special people and make an addition to my special people family!

**Midnight Kyuubi, Kawaii-Aikurushii-Kitsune, Lime Green Bean, Midnight Shining Start, courageouscoward, SpottedShadow2947, blue-nuriel, dead edged blade, Optimistic-Pessimist, Phantomsnow, Shaay, TheDeviant and Queen of the Damned-Anya252!**

I'm really happy now, so...yes, this sounds selfish, but because of the CONTENT in this chapter... -flushes bright red- it wouldn't be to harsh to ask for 15 reviews now, would it? Only if the chapter has -yummy- stuff in it, will I ask of this, ne? Thanks again,

Rice-Ball247


	4. Seeing Red

**Monochrome **

_By Rice-Ball247 _

_**Monochrome**: A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey. _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into a darker abyss than ever before _

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain _

_Of hope and of memories _

_But when that chain brakes _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into that darker abyss _

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Short, sweet and witty, if you look underneath the underneath ;)

* * *

**_Chapter 4: Seeing Red_**

"Naruto, do you think this charm looks good on me?" Sakura asked the blond-haired man, who she had dragged along with her and Ino. Since Gaara was with him at all times, she supposed he would have to come along too. Naruto frowned, sensing something tense and uneasy with his other best friend, Sakura. Ever since she had met up with him and Gaara in the café, completely by chance, she had been shifty and looked almost…hurt.

"I think the pink diamond heart with emerald studs will suit you better," Naruto commented honestly, pulling the onyx and sapphire bracelet away from Sakura's small hands. "It brings out the colour of your hair and your eyes. Don't you agree, Gaa-chan?"

Gaara regarded the bracelet with contempt, before his turquoise eyes scanned the anxious looking girl in front of him. He shrugged and nodded towards them, stuffing his hands in his pockets and glancing away.

"I suppose," he muttered, his voice softer than usual. Naruto sighed again. Ever since that stupid incident and the accident during the mission, ever since Sasuke had been hospitalized…everyone had been down in the dumps. Naruto wasn't an idiot. He never was an idiot. Clueless, yes. Late to bloom, perhaps. But never an idiot.

His face coloured when he remembered yesterday's secret session with the red-head. Gaara, too, must have remembered it, for when he met Naruto's blue eyes, he coloured red and turned away.

Naruto absently followed Sakura and her blonde friend as they strolled through the markets aimlessly. Gaara trudged behind Naruto, remaining his usual silent self. Of course, to the girls, it seemed quite odd that Naruto had just clammed up all of a sudden, but then again, they took into consideration the fact that Sasuke was being hospitalised for the time being.

"Let's head for lunch," Ino suggested, patting her flat stomach with a whimsical look in her eyes. Had the girl been starving herself? Just the mention of food and she seemed to crave, no LUST after a meal - very unlike Ino at all. Naruto, to his chagrin, was dragged to a restaurant that was not Ichiraku's Ramen stall. He sighed as he was seated beside Gaara, who sat across from Sakura. This left Ino seated in front of Naruto. She didn't seem too fond of the fact, after all, ever since they were young, she had never gotten on along well with the other blond. But on the other hand, she was also still very afraid of Gaara, and since Sakura was one of Naruto's best friends, she assumed that the relationship between Gaara and her best friend wasn't as awkward. Now if only it worked that way with Naruto…no better yet, Sasuke!

Ino frowned. She was being selfish again. All the people around her were hurting because of that stupid accident. Both Sakura and Naruto directly, and Gaara indirectly. She supposed he was hurting because this hurt Naruto deeply. Ino nearly snorted, but was thankful for the large menu which covered the most part of her face. Naruto despised Sasuke, as far as she could remember. Perhaps, when they had been on the same team, yes, they had that close bondage as best friends, but now, the only link between them was that they were both ANBU and that Sakura was their best friend, a bridge between the two. Ever since that sick, twisted incident involving that horrible snake-sannin, Orochimaru, Naruto had cut off almost all ties with the Uchiha. But deep down, there was something, a bond between them, that could never be overwritten or replaced.

That was most likely why the two were able to stay in the same room alone, and come out alive. Unscathed.

Ino ordered a serving of spicy shrimp, Sakura, a regular, low-fat salad, Gaara, a plate of carbonara and Naruto bought two helpings of miso ramen. Of course, it wasn't as good as the stuff that Ichiraku's could concoct, but hey, it was better than anything else on this menu.

The drinks came first, almost instantly. Naruto held the tall glass of cola in between his long fingertips, swirling the half-downed contents and listening to the clinking of gradually melting ice-cubes. The conversations between the four of them were half-hearted and almost scarce. Finally, when Sakura could no longer take the silence, she brought up memories of their childhood. Naruto grimaced when he recollected these memories, some sweet and relished and some…better left forgotten.

"And then Shiba-san pushed Naruto from behind and he went smack dab into Sasuke's lips!" Sakura giggled, sticking her tongue out at the miffed looking blond.

"Oi, oi! Don't bring that up again! It's embarrassing to even think about!"

Gaara raised a non-existant eyebrow at Sakura and a moment passed between them, both of them thinking, 'How exactly is this moron one of my best friends?'

Naruto pouted at first but the sulking look vanished when a waiter and a waitress appeared, juggling the orders on their long, well balanced arms.

"Please enjoy your meal!" they chimed happily. Actually, they were most likely trained to do this everyday, and so usually, they would sound dull and plastic-like. But upon setting their hopeful eyes on the visiting Kazekage, they bowed as well, flashed them all 100-watt smiles before dashing off.

"You're gonna give them a tip for that," Naruto asked, eyeing Gaara curiously. Gaara regarded Naruto with bemused eyes before he slyly muttered, 'I'm sure we all like getting paid, once in a while…'

"Hey! Just coz I'm inexperienced-"

Both Sakura and Ino's heads shot up at this mention.

"w-with cooking, doesn't mean that I have to pay you back for cooking me ramen yesterday!"

The two girls blinked and shrugged it off before returning to their meals. Gaara and Naruto both exchanged stiff glares before each turned to their own plate of food and began to eat as well. Unsurprisingly, those two suck up teens, the waiter and the waitress, enthusiastically carried out one jug of coke. Yes, ONE jug of coke took two people to carry. Bloody hell Gaara was lucky. And that's exactly what Naruto said.

"Naruto-san, this is for you," the waitress stopped at the table when the waiter had left. The brunette shyly handed him a small, flat gift which she had wrapped up in a pale, subdued orange, extracted from the folds of her apron. Naruto blinked, wondering what else people could possibly fit in that flat an apron before it clicked in his brain that he had received another present. Again.

"I-I never get the chance to give this to you, since you're always so busy."

Does she always carry her gifts under her apron? Naruto was a little more than freaked out, however. He wasn't thrilled or flattered. He was downright freaked.

He sighed but immediately smiled up at the girl, giving her that heart-melting grin of his and murmuring a word of thanks.

"Arigatou! I'll be sure to come back here more often," Naruto grinned at her again, tucking the present into his carrier bag. The girl nodded, a dark blush spreading over her cheeks before her boss yelled out for her from the kitchens. She yelled a quick 'GOMEN!' before storming back inside the kitchen, stubbing her toe on a table leg on her way in.

"Wow, Naruto. You're becoming more and more popular with the ladies with every day that passes," Gaara commented. Sakura and Ino sighed. That had been the fourth girl in less than an hour. What was the world coming to? Then again, at this thought, both girls took a long, analysing look at their blond friend before coming to a mutual, unsaid conclusion.

Uchiha Sasuke was seductively sexy.

Uzumaki Naruto was smoking hot.

* * *

_Sasuke's POV_

Before I knew it, I found myself wondering if I would lose my sanity here. I was hanging by my last wit. I'm pretty sure that it didn't take this long for my body to recover, even without the help of Tsunade's healing chakra. The damaged that I had sustained must have been pretty brutal. A few fractured bones, a broken rib, twisted ankle, almost depleted chakra levels, stamina levels dangerously low, emotional trauma. Yes, a day in the life of Uchiha Sasuke, I thought bitterly. But it had been on a much worse scale than that.

Sakura had managed to be saved with a stab wound and the occasional few scratches. Naruto had sprained his leg and cramped his right arm somehow. He had stab wounds to his leg, arm and shoulder. I had received pretty much the brunt of it. But still, I was healing, wasn't I? My body no longer felt like lead, nor did it feel like I was floating either, so I knew I wasn't dead. I stared at the grey ceiling. It was painted white, but in the darkness of the room it was grey. Heck, even if it was bright orange, it would still be grey. Orange…

Fuck. Fuck this. I couldn't stand it. I closed my eyes again that day, trying to picture my past, the colours. The usual darkness that I was engulfed in. But there was still colour. There was still navy blue, there was still forest green, there was still blood red. It might not have been bright blue, nor lime green or even pink for that matter, but it was still colour. I sighed. I truly had under appreciated the gift that my vision once had. Now I should be thankful that I even HAVE my eyesight, and didn't have the Sharingan fail me completely.

But still...I couldn't help but be filled with the biggest stroke of regret. Why? The biggest question of all was why had I saved them? I did not care for Naruto, and I had only wanted to save Sakura because she was my best friend. Why the FUCK did I put my life on the line for that stupid dead-last? He meant nothing to me. He was nothing.

Stupid eyes have to start stinging now…I wiped at my watering eyes gingerly, praying to God that no one would walk through that door right now. The doorknob turned.

God hates me.

* * *

_Normal POV_

Naruto pulled the door to Sasuke's ward open, something slipping in his mind to knock. Gaara had decided to retire for the rest of the day - shopping with Sakura and Ino could really wipe the energy out of you! Naruto, of course, had limitless amounts of stamina…

"Hey Sasuke…are you…crying?" Naruto hesitated as he closed the door behind him. The first thing he had noticed about the raven-haired patient was that tiny, almost non-existent glistens welling in his eyes. The second thing Naruto noticed, was that Sasuke was furious.

"Who the HELL do you think you FUCKING ARE?" Sasuke roared, using almost all of his self-control to not peg the bedside lampshade at Naruto's head. Naruto winced at Sasuke's tone, but continued forwards nevertheless. He knew already that Sasuke wouldn't do anything too rash. He was an Uchiha and they never lost their cool. Well, not TOO much. And Naruto also had a peace of mind to know that Sasuke was disarmed when he was admitted to the hospital; all shuriken holsters, kunai pouches, scroll pockets and other weapons were disabled from him.

Naruto pressed onwards, sitting rather tensely on the edge of his seat beside Sasuke. Disregarding Sasuke's wishes for him to leave, disregarding Sasuke's wishes to not look at him…Naruto stared directly into onyx eyes. Something in him twinged and pinched at his heart to see the man sitting in the bed obediently, his once healthy body, ironically in the hospital, being worn down. Deep, dark bags sat beneath his obsidian coloured eyes, both a contrast to his usually pale, alabaster skin. He, like Naruto, had skin problems as well. His skin no longer had that healthy glow to it, but seemed to be dead and dull. Just like Sasuke's soul. Naruto maimed his bottom lip gently with his front teeth.

"Sasuke…"

"I told you to not look at me! Look away!" Sasuke screeched, his face scrunching up in pain as he glared and snarled at Naruto maniacally. White skin pulled across bony knuckles which were clasped into tight fists, balling up the rumpled bed sheets which were tucked around Sasuke's frail body.

"I'm not going to look away, Sasuke," Naruto told him calmly, slowly pulling off his orange jacket and tossing it onto the nearby chair, leaving his torso, clad in a black muscle shirt, visible for all to see. It took every ounce of his power to keep his voice steady. He knew that his resolve was beginning to weaken with every passing second. "You will not look away."

Naruto stood up, one knee pushed against the steel skeleton of the bed, the other supporting his weight from below. The blond kneeled in closer to Sasuke, pushing his face rather too close for comfort.

"Look at me, Sasuke. Look into my eyes. They are exactly the same. This is your new blue. Your sky is going to be black, your world will be nothing but shades of grey. There is NOTHING you can do about it. Absolutely nothing. That's the truth, the cold, hard truth," Naruto hissed coldly. Something within Sasuke snapped.

He, Uchiha Sasuke, at the age of nineteen, had finally lost his cool. He brought his right back and walloped Naruto across his right cheek, a resounding slap echoing around the dark and cold room.

"You UNGRATEFUL MONSTER!" Sasuke snarled, his hands, his body, shaking uncontrollably. His face formed that loathsome snarl, a face so vicious that it put all his scowls and death glares to shame. To Naruto, Sasuke's eyes turned a much darker shade of black than ever possible. Sasuke's hair fell limply around his face, curving into high cheekbones and a thinned out chin. "I SHOULD HAVE JUST LEFT YOU TO DIE! MY GOAL WAS ONLY TO SAVE SAKURA! DO YOU UNDERSTAND? THERE IS NO LONGER A LINK BETWEEN YOU AND I!"

"Sasuke."

"SAYING I HATE YOU AND THAT I HOPE YOU DIE IS MUCH TOO CHILDISH, YOU STUPID, STUPID DOBE!"

"Sasuke."

Sharingan eyes were activated, piercing into Naruto's azure eyes. Naruto stared directly at him unflinchingly. The Sharingan was nothing new to him. Many times had it been turned against him, many times had he tried to activate Kyuubi's power against Sasuke.

"THERE IS NOTHING MORE LOATHSOME THAT I CAN EVEN BEGIN TO THINK ABOUT TO DESCRIBE SOMETHING FOR YOU! I HOPE THAT THE VILLAGE CONTINUES TO SHUN YOU! I HOPE THEY CONTINUE TO HATE YOU! I HOPE THAT YOU'LL NEVER, EVER BE LOVED!"

"FUCK OFF!" Naruto screamed, bringing his hand back to punch Sasuke's pretty, little face. But he caught himself at the last second, seeing Sasuke's breathing becoming more sporadically paced. The look of fear was visible in his eyes. Sasuke looked so vulnerable, so hurt…

Sasuke's thin lips curled into a smirk. That hateful expression! Naruto froze, hearing Sasuke begin to laugh. It wasn't the laugh he was ever expecting from Sasuke. When you thought Uchiha, you never expected them to laugh. But if ever the rare occasion arose, you would expect a perfect, melodic sound. What Naruto heard, however, was a dry, almost evil sounding cackle.

Sasuke threw his head back, eyes widening as he stared at Naruto's face, as that dry, throaty laugh left his crackled lips. Sasuke was mocking him! Naruto snarled, his right fist shaking with the temptation to land a single punch on the stupid Uchiha's pretty face.

"Go ahead, Uzumaki. Punch me. Hit me. Hate me! FUCKING HATE ME!" Sasuke screamed into Naruto's face. Naruto obliged. He reared his arm and brought a powerful blow to Sasuke's jaw. A sickening crack reached his ears, a dark purple bruise immediately forming in the damaged area. Naruto look in a deep, shuddering breath as he stared at Sasuke's shocked face. The entire room was silent again.

"Y-you hit me…"

"Sasuke…shit I'm sorry," Naruto quickly apologized, reaching out his hand to touch Sasuke's bruised face. His fingers barely grazed against silky, purple skin when a fist embedded deep into Naruto's stomach. A trail of blood and spit left Naruto's mouth when he gasped for air.

"Wh-what did you do…?" Naruto asked him weakly. Sasuke stared at the blond man, curled up and weighing heavy over his lethargic legs. Sasuke closed his eyes, taking deep, calming breaths.

"D-don't make me do this, Naruto. Don't make me…please," Sasuke begged him, pleaded, his voice strained, his face pained. Naruto coughed again, a spray of blood staining the sheets, rumpled from all the thrashing about. Weakly, Naruto gathered all his strength and grabbed Sasuke's shoulders, making the raven-haired man bend over in front of him.

"Sasuke, you fucking bastard," Naruto whispered into Sasuke's ear. He slumped over Sasuke's shoulder, the two of them together. Sasuke had fallen into an uncomfortable sleep against Naruto's chest, whilst Naruto look his repose upon Sasuke's shoulder.

And that, was how Tsunade found them when she came to check up on the Uchiha.

Needless to say, the blonde-haired Hokage already had a solution to the problem that she was to present to Sasuke in a few minutes time. But for now…

Tsunade closed the door behind her as she left the ward. 'She'd fix up their wounds later.

…for now, she'd let them rest. She could tell, that from the damage caused to each other, that maybe the simmering blood running through their veins should be left to cool.

It was easy to tell that both Sasuke and Naruto had been seeing only red moments ago.

* * *

Hey! You're probably thinking, stupid biznatch Rice-Ball247 hasn't been updating. I've got the most cliche'd excuse, yet it is applicable to everyone, especially in the ninth grade!! -sigh- if i don't kick my grades up to at least a B+ in philosophy, i'll get kicked OUT of class, so you can see why i'm stressing. geez...n to think that once upon a time (long before i found the joys of fanfiction) that i was a straight-A student. anyways, enough about me! Finally, I've updated Monochrome! Thank you to all that have reviewed!

Special thanks to: **HunnicHi, Zoomi, Phantomsnow, SpottedShadow2947, dead edged blade, Lost ninja#1, Midnight Kyuubi, courageouscoward, Midnight Shining Star, blue-snuriel, Wubster, sarah-the-anime-fan211, Dead is her soul, BlueRedemption, Chidori-Hunter994, Tsunaide AND Nat Nat!**

Midnight Shining Star: hey, for some reason, i cant contact you, you don't have an email or contact available on FF.N. I had a message asking what happened to your stories and if you could please put them back on. and yeah, please don't shoot the messenger! Thank you for your continuous support!

BlueRedemption: thank you for your review! I'll take your review to heart!

Tsunaide: Dalin-chan i wub yooh so much, mwakz lolz. thnks for your review! If you're reading this, and like DBSK, you should read Tsunaide's fanfics on livejournal! mwahahah...

Nat-Nat: my effin SXC twin! i heart yooh! thank you for finally reviewing lolz i miss yooh so much!

**_HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!_**


	5. Orange Dobe

**Monochrome **

_By Rice-Ball247 _

_**Monochrome:** A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey._

_Sinking, falling _

_Into a darker abyss than ever before _

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain _

_Of hope and of memories _

_But when that chain brakes _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into that darker abyss _

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Short, sweet and witty, if you look underneath the underneath ;)

_**

* * *

**_

_**Chapter 5: Orange Dobe**_

When I woke up, the sky outside was dark and dotted with small, glistening stars. My neck was uncomfortably crooked and I lifted my head to sit up straight. Twitching, I slowly stretched out the kinks in my neck muscles. My legs were wound around a warm body, tightly grasping onto my waist. Sasuke. He was fast asleep, still recovering. A look of displeasure was on his face, as if someone had just left off a really bad rip…per…

I blinked and sniffed the air, sighing when I realized that it could not have been me, nor Sasuke. The air was still clean and…sterile fresh. So had the Uchiha been having a bad dream? I quietly dislodged my legs from his body and made an attempt to unclasp his hand from behind my body. Slowly but surely, his tightly entwined fingers undid themselves and I was able to silently back away by sliding my body across the bottom of the bed. Sasuke, lacking a body to support him, promptly slouched over, his head hitting the opposite end of the mattress. Sighing, I took his head in my hands and pushed him back right up onto his support pillow gently.

Sasuke frowned in his sleep again. Really, some day that boy will smile for some odd reason and his face will literally fall apart. Then all the girls in the world will belong to me! Hehe…

"-ruto," came a half-whispered, half-finished word. I blinked, thinking I had heard it in my imagination. Screw this. I rubbed my sore eyes and arched my back to stretch again. I felt the knots in my back slowly stretch out until I heaved and slumped back into my usual slouching form. I watched the raven-haired man slumbering on his hospital bed, grimacing to think that I had spent the night on said bed…but not laying down, thankfully.

Now that I thought about it, Sasuke was an early-bird, always awake in the ungodly hours of the morning, yet able to participate in all activities wholeheartedly, no matter how much he never showed it. But since his body was still in the recovery process, I suppose it was safe to assume he slept in because of that.

A pang of sympathy and guilt tweaked at my heart, spreading a wave of some unknown feeling to the pits of my stomach, rippling all over my body. It was warm, in a way, making my skin prickle and itch, but at the same time, a cold chill ravaged my spine, causing me to stand rather awkwardly at the foot of Sasuke's bed. I rubbed my bare, tanned arm to warm my cold skin, feeling the iciness of the room make my hair stand on end. Sasuke's chest was rising and falling as he breathed in and out, a sure sign that he was in deep sleep. I scanned over his quiet, bruised body, purple blotches on his arms, once black, now healing. Lengthy scratches had been already covered up by thin bandages, and under the synthetic 'dress' Sasuke wore, no doubt, he was covered from chest to hips in the wraps. When my eyes reached his feet, I noted that he was unconsciously turning colder, if the slight shaking was any indication of it.

I smiled softly as I took the rumpled bed sheets and pulled them up smoothly over Sasuke's sleeping form. I would have taken the liberty to change them for him, but since I didn't have head or tails of where I could have found clean linen, I decided against it. Tucking the sheets around his shoulders as soon as it reached his collar, I brushed back the dark, black-blue bangs that were tossed over his pale, alabaster skin.

His skin was dry, not covered in a thin sheen of sweat like usual sick people were. He didn't seem to be in any visible pain, but then again, because of the monochrome condition, it must have been a huge blow to his ego for Sasuke to been unable to complete any missions, even D-ranked missions, for a long while. For example, if he was to catch a ginger coloured cat, he would have most likely caught a gray one instead. I winced when I thought about Sasuke like this. Unconsciously, my left hand reached out and gently stroked the soft, white skin of Sasuke's cheek. The raven-haired boy, surprisingly, leaned in and welcomed the warmth in his sleep.

I smiled softly and leaned down, my breath grazing the cheek of Sasuke's and I was about to press my lips down on the skin when a soft knock sounded on the door. I, in my weak trance, was snapped out of it and realized what I was about to do. I lurched backwards in shock, staring at the Uchiha sleeping on the bed, before my gaze traveled to the doorknob turning on the door. I quickly grabbed my jacket before I performed a few hand seals and disappeared from the room.

* * *

_Normal POV_

Tsunade frowned as she turned the doorknob. The chakra signature of Naruto had abruptly vanished from the ward as soon as she began to turn the silver knob of the door. Faintly, she could feel a trace of his chakra reappear in the training grounds, where she was well aware he usually trained. A faint smile appeared on Tsunade's lips as she pushed open the door, preparing to break the news of a 'healing journey' to Sasuke.

Naruto panted heavily as he flung another kunai at the targets, the metal dagger making a swift path through the air before imbedding itself into the middle circle of the worn out target rings. Last year, the Hokage had demanded that new targets be installed into the training grounds, so as to help the genins, and perhaps higher ninja, to practice their aim. She had installed the target rings, but since they were so popular amongst the genin, it was already worn out and dirty, as a result from many days of rain, mud and weapons stabbing into the rough, sandpaper-like surface.

He bent over, hands placed on his knees, mouth hanging open to gasp a few breaths of air before wiping the sweat off his forehead and resuming his training, this time moving onto shuriken and accuracy on moving targets, another highlight of the target installation.

But…

Sasuke. Earlier that morning, Naruto had woken up with Sasuke curled up under his chin. And Sasuke wasn't the only one to blame for Naruto was strewn over the raven's shoulder, in a deep, but uncomfortable, sleep. And since that 'moment' wherein Naruto had nearly kissed Sasuke on his cheek…

Naruto blanched and tripped over his own two feet, clumsily coming to a messy pile on the dirt ground. Konohamaru, Udon and Moegi just happened to be training nearby as well. The infamous prankster trio who had looked up to Naruto when they were younger, ran to see if their still-admired 'big brother' was alright. Of course, the trio were no longer genin, but rather, chuunin. They had passed the examination three years ago, and they now stood at the age of 15.

"Itai, itai…" Naruto muttered under his breath, slowly extracting a shuriken which was poking into his shoulder. It had only caused a surface wound, nothing more, so he was fine. Konohamaru shook his head with disapproval as his eyes remained trained on the older boy. After his graduation, he too, like Naruto, had ditched the goggles for his hitai-ate, but the cherished accessory remained tied around his neck.

"You should be more careful, Naruto-nii. If this was a mission situation, with that distracted mindset of yours, you could get your team killed!" Konohamaru warned him, sounding somewhat angry. Naruto grinned at him sheepishly but then, when he felt Konohamaru's hand on his shoulder, the grin vanished. The younger teen now reached his forehead, therefore being almost equal in height to Naruto.

"I heard about Sasuke. I never got the chance to see you or him."

"What…you said about being distracted, Konohamaru…you were right. Being distracted can get you killed," Naruto said, ignoring the previous statement made about Sasuke. Cerulean eyes slid closed as the chuunin's hand left Naruto's shoulder. Naruto continued to speak, his voice slightly hoarse.

"It was my fault. I had challenged Tsunade to give me a slightly more difficult challenge. I wanted to take the mission alone, since it was pretty basic."

The three in front of him quieted the moment they realized that Naruto was about to tell them something that he had not told anyone about yet, just by the look of painful remembrance on his face.

"Sasuke and Sakura had overheard, since they were both reporting their newly finished missions. They decided that since this was an…A-ranked mission, that they'd tag along as well, since we all knew what each other was capable of. But I wanted to prove something to Tsunade. I told her that I wanted to do this alone."

Naruto's eyes remained shut, his lips curled into a tight line. His eyebrows furrowed, as he if were having trouble remembering what had happened during his mission.

"So she let me go alone. She told me that I had to leave as soon as possible, if I were to catch up to the infiltrator who had broken into the Hokage Tower and stolen an important seal, very much like what had happened to me the day I graduated from Shinobi Academy."

Of course, the trio had not heard this story from Naruto before, but they remained quiet, politely urging for Naruto to continue his tale.

"I set off, ready to catch the man who had stolen Yondaime's seal. But…as soon as I had began to fight him, Sasuke and Sakura appeared. It turns out that Tsunade had been worried about my safety on the mission and had sent the two to tail me. The man was extremely strong, so strong that even I had trouble keeping up. I figured that since I had Sasuke and Sakura on my side, I'd be okay. But another part of me was angry. Furious that they had come along, when I hadn't needed them originally. You see, just when they appeared, I got distracted and the man gave me a pretty powerful blow…"

Naruto finally opened his eyes, a whimsical quirk of a smile on his lips. His eyes clouded over as he looked to the skies, a sigh leaving his dry, slightly parched lips.

"I was so angry at them that I had begun yelling. Little did I know that this man had allies. They all surrounded us, cornered us so that we were literally sitting ducks. I was shocked to learn that this man had a strong affliction with the Akatsuki. I figured that…the elder _Uchiha _was capable of completing a mission like this on his own. But they were just playing mind-games with us. By making us think that we were fighting a formidable, yet beatable foe, we thought that we had the upper hand. Next thing I knew, we had Akatsuki around us."

"A-and?" Moegi asked, the young girl was already leaning forwards where she stood, eager to hear the rest of the story.

Naruto closed his eyes again and opened his mouth to speak, when all of a sudden there was a shout and all four looked up to see a brunette man striding towards them at a hurried pace.

"I-Iruka-sensei!" Udon stuttered, wiping his mucus on the back of his hand. Moegi nudged him angrily with disgust and the boy shot her a small glare.

"Konohamaru, Moegi, Udon," Iruka acknowleged the three before turning his chocolate coloured eyes to one of his most favoured students. It was ironic how teachers hated troublemakers, yet Iruka loved Naruto as if he was his own son, or brother. "Naruto. Tsunade-sama wishes to see you."

"Aww, Iruka-senseeeeei!!" the 15-year-old trio whined. They were really getting into the story too. Naruto, on the other hand, seemed glad that he had been rescued from telling the painful half of the story.

"Come along now, Naruto. You three keep up with your training. God knows how many chuunin are slacking off these days," Iruka, now a jounin, sighed with a faint smile on his face. He scratched his scarred nose before turning to Naruto and pushing him in the direction of the hospital. "Go on."

The two formed hand seals and disappeared away, ninja style. The prankster trio sighed simultaneously.

"Who's up for ramen?"

Naruto and Iruka reappeared just outside the Konoha General Hopsital, where the remaining members of the former rookie-9, Team Gai and even the Sabaku's stood waiting. Sakura stood there too, looking as if she was about to burst into a fit of hysteria.

"Naruto! Where have you been?" she practically screeched. Naruto winced at her loud tone of voice, having been used to the quietness of the training grounds and literally, how own voice.

"Training. I was catching up with Konohamaru," he grumbled as he followed the others inside. "Why did Tsunade call me?"

"She called all of us, but there's something that she wants to talk about to you in particular."

"Ah, okay."

Naruto still held a tiny fraction of resentment towards the Hokage, for what she had done to him. A betrayal of trust, in a sense. Yes, she had been worried, but that worry had turned an almost capable situation into a life or death matter. Even if she was Hokage, she could not have foreseen the Akatsuki that were involved. Perhaps the ANBU members who were to scout the area had misinformed her? No…

Naruto fixed his hitai-ate, which was beginning to slant over his forehead, the moment all members of their party walked through to the waiting room. The blonde-haired Hokage stood there, waiting patiently for them to arrive. As soon as she saw them, she gave them a grim smile and her presence was immediately so commanding that each teen and those in their twenties, felt the need to sit down.

"Kazekage-sama," Tsunade bowed to the young man standing beside Naruto with much respect. Although she was already in her fifty-seventh year, the Konohagakure village leader's face resembled that of a twenty-year-old. She also had admirable respect for those who were younger than her, if they proved their worth, that is.

Gaara gave her a bow of his own, one, since she was Hokage, and two, because she was his superior/elder.

"Hokage-sama."

There was a moment of silence between the two Kages before Gaara turned and pulled Naruto into the seat beside him. Tsunade finally noticed Naruto and nodded her head in acknowledgement. Then, she began to speak to all of them, explaining the 'solution' for Sasuke's situation. Although none of them wanted to object, each of them had problems of their own, business management, family matters, heck, even Hinata and Kiba were already planning to start a family of their own. It was strange that people expected Hinata to be the last one to hook up, when in fact, she was actually the first, being so capable and sensible and all.

"I haven't informed Sasuke yet, so I don't know how he'll react to this, but it's important that I inform all of you at once, so that we can get his recovery over and done with."

"What is it, Tsunade-baa-san?" Naruto drawled, leaning back into his plastic, cushioned seat. Tsunade ignored the brat's informal and insulting words, as usual, but she still carried a deep affection for Naruto as if he were her son, grandson and most importantly, younger brother.

"Okay, as some of you realize, Sasuke, no matter how strong he is, is literally toast if he were to perform any missions, even a D-ranked mission can cost him, since all he can see is gray, black and white. In order for him to live, he'll need money to cover all expenses and everything," Tsunade said, immediately wishing that she hadn't made the man sound so pathetic.

"We can check in our money, can't we guys?" Sakura encouraged her friend around her. They all nodded simultaneously. Tsunade shook her head.

"It's more complicated than that. Don't forget, there are also people that are currently after Sasuke. This includes that bastard ex-teammate of mine, Orochimaru and the Otogakure village. Then there is Uchiha Itachi and the Akatsuki. Although they are currently after Naruto and Gaara, as you know, they would also be after Sasuke as well, since I'm pretty sure Itachi would want to harness Sasuke's power."

Naruto snorted as Gaara put a protective arm around his shoulders and pulled the blond towards his chest.

"Sasuke is just a magnet for trouble, isn't he, Tsunade-baa-san? Just get to the point, will you?"

Both Tsunade and her subordinate, Sakura, glared fiercely at Naruto, but the blond, already used to the scary faces, remained indifferent and unperturbed by their angry stares.

"Alright then. Sasuke needs to have a live-in attendant," Tsunade stated bluntly, watching Naruto's face to gauge his reaction. Surprisingly, he still remained indifferent to what she had just declared. "Did you hear me, Naruto?"

"Don't look at me. I'm not doing it."

"I'll do it," Sakura put in hopefully, a small flicker of hope in her voice. Ino glared at her and argued that she, herself, would be more than willing to look after their beloved Sasuke.

Childish arguments were already long gone with this pair, but there was still that flicker of disdain between the two, beneath all those layers of friendship and love. But Sakura knew that all Ino wanted to do was spend time with Sasuke, since the two hadn't hung out in a long time since they were all about sixteen or so. Besides, Sakura knew that Ino was crushing on Shikamaru, but the lazy boy still remained oblivious to Ino's obvious advances, no matter how smart the young man was.

"I don't want a live-in attendant," came a dry sounding voice from the open doorway. Each person looked up in surprise, shocked to see that Sasuke stood there with his arms folded over his chest and leaning against the doorframe.

"Saskue, what the hell are you doing out of bed?" Tsunade demanded angrily, striding over to the ebony-haired boy. His soft hair hung in its usual place, curving in gentle curves around his face. That mocking smirk was etched on his lips, once a scowl just moments before.

"I'm not weak. I never was, I am not. I never will be."

The room echoed silence for a few moments before Naruto burst out laughing. He was amused.

Sasuke wasn't. His jaw tightened, painfully visible to all. Sakura's fist remained restrained upon her lap.

Naruto, she thought to herself, you idiot. Shut up!

"Nevertheless," Tsunade's voice boomed inside the silent waiting room, slicing through the tension like a hot knife through butter. "I haven't called you here for an argument, though, knowing Naruto, there probably will be one after I say this." Tsunade added that final bit almost quickly, and slightly under her breath to herself as well.

"You have all been made aware to Uchiha Sasuke's condition with his eyes," Tsunade began, making a gesture in Sasuke's general direction without looking over her shoulder. She kept her chocolate brown eyes trained on the younger generation in front of her. "And I've told you that there is to be a live-in assistant. I believe that Uzumaki Naruto would be the most suitable for the job."

There was a loud uproar, the loudest of all, coming from the blond, orange-clad dobe himself. Tsunade shook her head, soft, blonde tendrils gently flicking against the milky skin of her collarbone. She raised her hand to silence the group before her. Not only could she feel how upset Naruto was, but Sasuke and everyone else around them as well.

"Before you complain, I want you to know that I have reasoning behind my actions."

"You BETTER have!" Naruto hissed, jumping to his feet, causing Gaara's arms to fall back onto his own lap. The blond began pacing restlessly, as if silently weighing up the pros and cons in his mind. He turned to Tsunade again, opened his mouth, before shutting it and continuing to pace once more on the linoleum floor. "I CAN'T look after Sasuke, obaa-chan! You KNOW that he and I would be at each other's throats!"

"I agree, although I would have worded it better, Tsunade-sama," Sasuke added, keeping his glare fixed on Naruto's angered, hot and bothered face. Tsunade closed her eyes for half a minute, using her thumb and index finger to massage the bridge of her nose. She found herself doing this as a nervous habit, especially when there wasn't any sake nearby.

"Naruto, as sudden as it may seem, I've had this planned for quite a while-"

"How long is a while?" Naruto burst, throwing his hands upwards into the air, making frantic hand gestures, much to Gaara's annoyance.

"A few hours actually. I happened upon two sleeping people yesterday, and they reminded me of you and Sasuke when you both were younger. You two were so close and I know that you will be the only one suitable for the job. I want you all to know so that you understand what both Sasuke and Naruto will be going through for the next few weeks."

"I'm NOT doing it."

"You are!"

"NO!"

"Humour me, Naruto! You will do this, or else you'll be put on prohibition from missions for a year!"

"You can't do that!"

"Yes I can. And I will. I'm the Hokage, and you'll do as I say."

"But…but…argh! At least let me think it through first!"

Naruto made his point by making a dramatic exit from the room. Tsunade shook her head again, pinching the bridge of her nose. The others stared at their village leader warily and Sasuke remained silent at the doorway.

"That dobe…I swear…"

Sasuke failed to see the reasoning behind Tsunade's choice of a live-in attendant. He and Naruto were polar opposites and putting the two like this, having to live like this for months even, would just cause them to clash more than usual and, like Naruto had so 'appropriately' worded previously, they would be at each other's throats.

Sasuke was quiet, very much like the calm colour of navy blue. But Naruto…Naruto was the dobe, for God's sake! He was orange, bright and loud and annoying.

But sooner or later, Sasuke found out and had to then accept that Naruto, the orange dobe, would be his live-in attendant for the next few months. He prayed he wouldn't lose more of his already thinning sanity.

* * *

Yatta! An update! -pops a champagne, but throws it away because she's too young to drink- err...sorry, did you want that:D finally, an update! I just went through one of the most hellish weeks of my life. But you don't need to know that! Anyway, I hope you enjoyed the fifth installment of Monochrome! There isn't much yaoi in this chapter _sadly _but I don't want the relationships to develop TOO fast. I still have to run through the entire plot before writing the rest up as well!

Thank you to those who reviewed!

**Midnight Shining Star, courageouscoward, lilworros, Dragon's Storyteller, SpottedShadow2947, blue-nuriel, BlueRedemption AND FISHTaNK the Evil Fangirl!**

**Note**: I don't know if people have noticed, but if you've read my other fic, A Screwed Up Fairytale, you'd know that I am a very Naruto-centric type of person. I don't know when this progressed, since I loved any yaoi pairings, but those of you who hate GaaNaru (not that I'm seeing any haters), please do not take their relationship to any offence! This IS a SasuNaru:D comments are welcome, reviews are embraced! Lot's of love means more updates! (not really, but I needed to rhyme...but love, please!).

Expect the next update...ah...let's say in a while :) I still have to write it and I'm under a severe case of trauma, involving insomnia and mind-shaking nightmares which keep me crying and awake :D ...er... :'( bai!

Rice-Ball247

**_PS: I seriously need to know, DO I need a beta-reader? people tell me I don't, but I'm worried about spelling and grammar mistakes which I make eg. writing 'it' as 'if' or writing 'foot' as 'food' etc ; that's all! Thankies!_**


	6. Yellow Sunshine

**Monochrome **

_By Rice-Ball247 _

_**Monochrome:** A condition of colour-blindness, in which all colours are perceived as shades of grey._

_Sinking, falling _

_Into a darker abyss than ever before _

_Holding onto faith _

_Grasping a chain _

_Of hope and of memories _

_But when that chain brakes _

_Sinking, falling _

_Into that darker abyss _

**Full summary**: In a horrible accident, ANBU captain, Uchiha Sasuke has overused an important nerve in his Sharingan eye, causing him to suffer from the infamous monochrome condition. His world is colourless, a never-ending grey matter. His grass is grey, his sun white and his sky an ever consistent black. A resemblance to his blackened sky, are the eyes of his precious Uzumaki Naruto - who just so happens to hate his guts, and is stuck looking after him too.

**Rating**: M/R

**Warning**: contains heavy yaoi, use of vulgar language and unhealthy innuendoes.

**Disclaimer**: I do not own Naruto © Masashi Kishimoto. Short, sweet and witty, if you look underneath the underneath ;)

* * *

_**Chapter 6: **__**Yellow Sunshine**_

Upon opening his eyes, the blond thanked God that he could still see the pale, pastel orange ceiling of his room. Or rather, the colour itself. His peripheral vision was hazy for a moment – a balled up fist rubbing at his eyes took care of that.

Naruto shuddered as he pictured life without being able to see the blue skies outside his bedroom window everyday. His mind then drifted back to Uchiha Sasuke.

The memories from the day before flooded back into his mind as he vaguely recalled storming out of the hospital with the mindset, 'I will NOT be dragged into this! I'm NOT going to be a FUCKING LIVE-IN attendant to SASUKE-TEME!'

Unfortunately for Naruto, Tsunade had tracked him down within the record time of thirty seconds, in which she spent a little chakra to hunt him down and capture him. The blonde Hokage had gripped him by the cuff of his collar and promptly dragged the boy back to the Hokage Tower to give him a long, ear-killing lecture.

Tsunade then progressed on to tell him that whether he liked it or not, he would be the live-in attendant for Sasuke and she had her reasons, which were strictly 'Hokage Confidential'.

"Why can't you tell me?" Naruto whined, grumpily crossing his arms over his chest like a brat ten years his junior.

"I told you. Hokage Confidential!! _Hokages_ only!" Tsunade sneered, narrowing her eyes at the stubborn blond.

"There's only one Hokage at a time, obaa-chan!" Naruto complained, scrunching his face with disdain. "I don't want to be near Sasuke! He's so mean to me!"

"Oh quit being a baby! Sasuke needs your help!"

"No he doesn't! He's an _Uchiha_!" Naruto jeered, exaggerating the beginning of Sasuke's surname. "Stupid Uchiha pride!" He muttered this under his breath, glaring at Tsunade beneath long, blond eyelashes.

"This is pointless," Tsunade gave a sigh of exhaustion, pinching the bridge of her nose while stretching her body, which was raked with fatigue. Dark circles were beginning to form beneath her eyes, despite the henge that she kept up. This required a lot of chakra, and because of the unusually high level of chaos and movement over the past few weeks, as well as chakra consumption, the Godaime found that she had to release the henge while she slept, so as to be energized throughout the day. "Naruto, don't argue anymore. My word is final."

"But-"

"Final, Naruto! Do you want me to extend your mission ban to a year, like I said before?" Tsunade threatened him, her voice raising a few notches higher. Naruto grimaced, thinking back to how she had reacted upon returning Sasuke and Sakura to the village, injured and exhausted. Once all three of them had successfully been healed, Naruto and Sakura to stability, Sasuke still in a coma, she banned the kyuubi-holder from completing any B-ranked missions and above, for about three months. He complained that it had been her fault for sending Sakura and Sasuke to tail him, due to lack of trust, but Tsunade merely told him that it was for his own good. He was reluctant, of course, but she then threatened to extend the prohibition. For his sake, Tsunade had made the ban private, so as to not damage Naruto's pride and reputation as a capable jounin. Only she, Naruto, Iruka and select others were informed about the prohibition.

"You'll do it, Naruto."

"…fine."

"You're dismissed."

Naruto stood up, his jaw tight and eyes blazing with anger. The built up rage suddenly began to flood through his veins. How dare she? How dare she use her power as the village leader to decide what he wanted! She was taking advantage of the powerless Naruto, abusing her own power to manipulate situations. Naruto began to look at the Hokage in a different light. He felt so insignificant. He felt so vulnerable. Yet there was nothing he could do about it, or else risk being banned from the good missions for a year.

He walked quietly to the door, in a composed and dignified manner. His hand rested on the doorknob. He proceeded to turn the metal knob in his hands, slowly opening the door.

"Some time this year would be good," Tsunade wryly added in a monotonous voice. No. He was determined to have the last say in this.

"I hope you realize I'll make no promises as to how I look after him. I hope you realize that I'll hate you for this."

He turned his burning cerulean eyes to meet the chocolate orbs of Tsunade's.

"The only thing I regret is that you disappointed me as the Hokage, obaa-chan. You disappointed me as my friend."

He left. Tsunade starred at the door in stunned silence. Hot tears began to prick at her eyes and she shakily reached for her sake.

To anyone viewing the Hokage at that moment of time, you could say that she was well composed. But as soon as they turned their eyes away, her hands shook, eyes leaking tears. The sake spilled on the mahogany desk, soaking her papers to a messy pulp.

For the first time in a long time, Tsunade had lost her composure. Naruto's words had shaken her up, badly.

_Sasuke's POV_

My arms itched. So did every damn part of my body, now that I think about it. Not the physical itch you feel – the one that you want to scratch. This one is similar, though. When you scratched an itch, usually you were satisfied, right? Then you'd be happy, am I correct?

What if someone banned you from scratching, kind of like when you get chicken pox?

That's what Tsunade-sama has done to me. Well, metaphorically speaking anyway. I don't have an itch, much less, the chicken pox. But I'm itching to train. And I'm banned from training. But I'm allowed to do missions like baby-sitting, on the requirement that the dobe, Naruto, comes with me.

My life just had to get darker than the pathetic state it is already in, didn't it?

_Normal POV_

Naruto swallowed whatever nerve was beginning to bubble up in his throat and spew out. Sasuke had been permitted to live in the Uchiha Compound, provided that Naruto, as his live-in attendant, would be there to tend to his every whim.

Well, those hadn't been the words used, but in Naruto's opinion, it might as well have been.

Didn't those fools understand that by putting him in this situation, one, he was extremely uncomfortable being around someone who hated him, and two, Sasuke could pretty much control him like a puppeteer would a puppet.

If Tsunade thought that this was the best possible way for Naruto to 'pay Sasuke back', so as to no longer feel indebted to him, then she was sorely mistaken.

The blond shifted the satchel bag slung over his shoulders, filled with his few personal belongings, while the duffel bag in his hand carried what meager clothing he owned. One of the requirements of being a live-in attendant, a full time one, anyway, was that Naruto was required to basically live _with_ Sasuke in the Uchiha Compound.

As if the history of the place wasn't freaky enough to begin with. Naruto couldn't imagine why anyone would want to live there, especially someone who was at a crucial healing stage like Sasuke.

With a sigh, Naruto fished the key to the compound from one of his many pockets and shoved it roughly into the almost completely rusted keyhole at the foremost gate. Iron wrought steel spanned the length of a few metres to Naruto's left and right, connected to two small watch-towers. From there on, a long, stone wall, perhaps more than two metres high, helped to hide the Uchiha Compound from the rest of Konoha and the outside world.

Many years of being unused and unkempt saw ivy and vines already choking the once pristine white boarder, occasionally cracking into the one-time infallible wall.

It took a little more effort than necessary to open the gates, which had pretty much been rusted shut (Tsunade and her inhumane strength must have opened these gates with ease), and Naruto grimaced as he wiped away a little of the iron oxide reside that clung to his sweaty palms.

He closed the gate, locking it as he went, then walked further into the compound. He kept his eyes strictly ahead of him, refusing to even spare a glance at a garden and lawn that was once immaculate beauty.

There was the aura and scent of death lingering in the air, heavy and oppressive in the way that sent dark chills down Naruto's spine. This was a place of death, no longer life. Once upon a time, perhaps, it might have been an ethereal beauty of a building but since _Uchiha__Itachi_ had slaughtered all but one, it had degraded to the ruination it was now.

With no one to tend to the gardens, the lush, green grass saw no water, save for the rain. Trees had managed to follow the course of nature, but even they had to be tended to and it seemed that no one was willing to go anywhere _near_ the Uchiha Compound.

A shoddily drawn map, courtesy of Tsunade, gave him quick directions to the Main House, where Sasuke would have resided as a child, and lived in now. Naruto shook his head with disgust.

He may not have liked Sasuke that much but this was fucking ridiculous. This place was a constant reminder of the colossal blow that had been dealt to the prestigious Uchiha clan, from the clan leader's eldest son.

This place held the unforgettable crime and ultimate betrayal to one's family. Naruto felt anger and sorrow intermix in his belly. It was disgusting.

He, who hadn't known his family, save for those who he regarded now as familial, wished for nothing more than for what the Uchiha's had in the basics – family. A large one, at that.

But then Itachi had to go and massacre nearly the entire clan in cold blood, without thought, without remorse – disgusting.

A second key was retrieved from his pocket and this time, it took a little longer for Naruto to open the door to the Main House because his hand was shaking, overwrought with his nerves.

For the sake of his missions, Naruto reminded himself firmly as he heard the key slide into place. For the sake of his future – he turned the key and the unmistakable sound of a lock clicking caused Naruto to realize that this was it.

No more missions for a long time – that is, unless Sasuke decided he wanted to baby-sit some brats for some pompous jerk who didn't have the time to look after their own kids.

Naruto sucked in a breath, subconsciously. Just because Sasuke was living here already, it didn't mean he trusted the air here. What if there was asbestos in the very fibres of the walls? Surely, Tsunade would have checked, right?

To Naruto's pleasant surprise, the inside of the Main House was rather well kept. Aside from the multiple layers of dust which had settled over the white cloths that covered the furniture, the interior was quite livable.

Naruto heaved a sigh of relief and shut the door behind him with his foot. Silence, yet again, and then the oppressive feeling returned.

There was murder in these very walls. Within this very room, perhaps. What if those white linen cloths weren't there to serve the purpose of keeping the furniture intact, but rather, to hide whatever bloodstains were splattered across them?

Naruto felt a cold shiver spike its way down his spine. There wouldn't be any _dead_ bodies in here, would there?

No. Silly. That's stupid.

Tsunade wouldn't allow it.

It was then that Naruto realized he relied upon Tsunade's words, actions and judgments too much to look after his own sorry hide. Whatever happened to being betrayed as a friend?

Naruto scoffed. Right. He was on his own now, left to heave the burden that is Uchiha Sasuke – in all his tremendous, monochrome glory.

The emphasis on silence in the Main House was made even more evident as Naruto crept through the timber-floored corridors. Upon passing a corridor that branched off into another direction, Naruto felt almost icy chills seep into his very pores.

There. There must have been a room down this corridor where Sasuke bore witness to the slaughter of his parents; where he saw his beloved elder brother slay the people he loved before his very eyes.

If Naruto closed his eyes, for a moment, he could hear panicked screams, tortured souls who hadn't been able to move on into the afterlife. He continued to stare down the dark corridor, which was almost pitch black because no light had managed to penetrate through.

Naruto wanted to move away, but he was rooted on the spot, simply staring. It was when he felt a heavy hand on his shoulder, that he jumped a mile high and screamed.

"Dobe, get a move on," Sasuke's voice rasped, pulling his own hand back to his person. Naruto frowned as he realized that a thin sheen of sweat coated Sasuke's unusually pale skin. Being sick and locked up in hospital had made him even pastier than usual, not in the porcelain-alabaster skinned way that Sasuke once had.

Naruto couldn't help but satisfy his curiosity. He jerked his thumb in the direction of the corridor, pointedly staying rooted where he was. "That place – is that where… you know?"

He didn't even have to finish his question, nor point out the obvious, to make Sasuke stiffen, his jaw tightening. Sasuke remained standing on the spot for a few moments, before he nodded shakily and walked perfunctorily back to the room in which Naruto presumed he was staying.

Naruto spared the corridor a final glance, frowning down into the darkness before he followed Sasuke back into the light.

Neither spoke until Sasuke gestured to two doors in front of them. With his back facing Naruto, he pointed to the door on his left, "Mine," then to the door on his right, "Yours."

Naruto nodded, despite the fact that Sasuke couldn't see him. "Should I settle in first?"

Sasuke was quiet for a moment. Then, "I don't care. Do as you wish."

Naruto could feel a numbing cold bite at his insides due to Sasuke's detached words. The door closed with a soft click, leaving Naruto to stand in the hallway, completely alone. He sighed, repressing his instinctive urge to simply yell out 'TEME!'

This was weird. Sasuke was so goddamn apathetic! Naruto would have preferred Sasuke angry most of the time, rather than this… this lifeless ragdoll!

He heaved the door to his new bedroom open and threw himself onto the bed, which was the first thing in sight. His body bounced lamely for a second before he settled into the covers where he had landed and shut his eyes.

He wasn't even tired.

Nope.

Just a little…

Nap, perhaps?

Yes.

Just a little nap.

* * *

By the time Naruto had reawaken, he was startled to find that he had no idea where he was. It was then that it clicked in his mind – the Uchiha Compound. 

This was his new bedroom.

It was large and spacious, but the furniture was a bare minimum. A bed, a dresser, wardrobe and desk. It must have been a guest room, and judging from the typical style of these compounds, it probably meant that Sasuke had opted to stay in a guest bedroom, rather than in his old one.

It made perfect sense to Naruto. He stifled a yawn and pulled open the blinds on the other side of the room. For a split second, he saw blood stains sprayed all over it, a decapitated head and rotting flesh. Naruto reeled backwards with a shriek, pressing himself as far away as possible from the window before he realized it was nothing but an unruly figment of his imagination.

A shaky breath left his lips as he stared fixedly at the gentle sunlight that streamed through the glass panes.

Perhaps he had been unconsciously expecting something behind the drapery, just like one would if they were walking in a dark place such as this and turned a corner, only to see the most horrendous scene of their life.

Naruto shook his head to clear his thoughts. This was sick. Less than a day spent at the Uchiha Compound and he could already feel the darkness crawling around him. He didn't want to be dark and gloomy but the very air that they breathed in this place was stifling and thick.

Naruto didn't want to admit his fear to himself, much less to anyone else, but the mental image of death in his mind had left him feeling rather insecure. He flicked the light switch on. It didn't work. He made a mental note to himself to ask Tsunade, or someone for help to build this place back up again.

Naruto left his bedroom, still in the clothes he wore from yesterday, and crossed the hall to Sasuke's room. He knocked twice and received no answer. Opening the door, the first thing he saw was a bed, pushed up against one corner. Sasuke probably didn't realize that his sheets were baby pink, and for a second, Naruto felt a twinge of guilt at the slight triumph he felt over Sasuke.

The boy in question was missing from his room. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed as he glanced around. Sasuke's room probably had less than his own. A bed, a curtain-drawn window and a dresser. That was it.

Gods! What on earth did Sasuke do to pass the time? If Naruto were in his situation, he probably would have died of boredom. But then again, this was Sasuke. He could probably sit still for an entire day and not get restless. Then again, Sasuke was pretty much indifferent most of the time.

Sure he had his moments – a smirk, annoyance, anger, loathing and once in a while, a genuine smile – but otherwise, Sasuke was pretty uninterested. Blank looks took up the majority of his facial expressions.

"What are you doing in here?" Sasuke's voice demanded from somewhere behind him. Naruto pivoted rather clumsily on his heel to see the dark-haired boy leaning against the doorjamb with an annoyed expression on his face.

"Looking for you," Naruto answered automatically. He glanced around the room and sighted the bed, "By the way, your sheets are pink."

Sasuke scowled and reached forward to grab at Naruto's arm. For someone so slender, Sasuke did have a lot of muscle strength and the blond winced when he felt a painful pressure on his wrist. That would probably bruise later, he decided, because Sasuke was grappling him harder than strictly necessary.

"I don't need you to remind me that I can't see," Sasuke snarled, swinging Naruto around so that he could fling him out the door.

"At least I got a reaction out of you, you stupid prick! You've been completely indifferent this entire time and if it takes a little insensitivity on my part to get you to do _something_ then I'd be more than happy to say that I can see a rainbow right now!"

It was a lie, of course, but the fact that Naruto was rubbing it in Sasuke's face served to only make the Uchiha angrier.

"You want a reaction, dobe? Fine!" Sasuke sneered, rearing his fist back. Naruto only had a second to realize what was happening before he felt a throbbing pain in his nose and a gentle, hot trickle.

Through his pain, Naruto managed to grin up at the Uchiha, despite having his nose injured, "See, teme? I can get you to be angry."

"You're always making me angry, you idiot," Sasuke snapped, kicking at Naruto's shin with a little bit more force to be a simple nudge. "Everything you do pisses me off. The way you look, the way you smell, the way you dress, the way you eat! It pisses me off when you train because your style is completely unorthodox and brash. I hate when you run headlong into danger and it's always up to Sakura and I to save your sorry arse!"

"Oh so this is about that, now is it?" Naruto was no longer smiling as he came to stand up in front of Sasuke, his face contorted into a scowl. "Don't you dare give me that bullshit, Sasuke. I went on that mission alone. I didn't need you _or_ Sakura to come and 'save my sorry arse'," he used quotation marks here, "and since when would I care what you think about me?! You've never cared for me before."

The expression in Sasuke's eyes darkened and Naruto wondered, if only for a moment, if all the shades that Sasuke could see had darkened a tone too.

"You ungrateful little rat," Sasuke snarled, the fist at his side clenching and unclenching, twitching with the restrained desire to clobber Naruto again.

"I'd rather be an ungrateful rat then a poncy princess, darling," Naruto sneered, holding his own ground against Sasuke. The Uchiha's eyes narrowed before he pointed to his door.

"Get out. I don't want to see you. I don't want to see a single part of your body any where near my rooms, _ever_. If I see so much as a strand of your stupid yellow hair in here, I'll drag you out by your hair and tie you to the gates."

"I have to watch over you, teme! It's not like I have a choice."

Sasuke's lip curled into a sadistic smirk, "All the more better to make your life harder."

He could see Naruto struggling to keep himself in check throughout the provocations. Sasuke pointed to the door yet again. "Now get out. I told you already: You and your ugly mug aren't welcome here."

"Gladly, teme! I hope you rot in here," Naruto growled, turning around to slam the door shut behind him.

At last, Sasuke was left alone to the silence and solitary of his room. He glanced around and finally, his eyes fell upon the light gray bed sheets. Pink, huh?

Sasuke made his way over and sat down tentatively on the bedspread. It wasn't like he could see the irritating colour anyway, so he didn't really care. Sasuke shut his eyes and rubbed at them wearily.

He couldn't _afford_ to care. There was a slight itch in his eyes and he had to restrain himself from the temptation of rubbing them even more. Tsunade had warned him that if he tried to rub them too much, they could end up getting irritated, especially after the first, unsuccessful surgery to save his sight. If he had a second operation, he was running the chance of losing the Sharingan.

Well, technically, he should have lost his sight completely. This was definitely better though, right?

Still, Sasuke couldn't help but feel slightly bitter. He could see, yet he… couldn't. Everything felt as if he was watching a really bad, outdated movie. Heck, everything that happened so far felt like it was part of a really bad, outdated movie.

He threw himself back onto his bed petulantly, glaring at the curtains which were drawn over the window. He wished they were open. Despite who he was, Sasuke was most certainly not a vampire and he did get uncomfortable when his room got too cold and he wished for just a little bit of warmth.

He stirred, willing his body to rise and open the curtains, but he didn't.

He lay there, numb and cold. Just as his eyes began to drift shut, the door to his room opened and he heard Naruto's loud voice.

"Wait teme! I know you said not to come in here but do you have a heater? I'm freezing!"

"Freeze then," Sasuke replied as he turned over, giving Naruto a view of his back. He heard the blond scowl before the door clicked to a shut again.

Sasuke closed his eyes and when he opened them, he could pretend that in his tiny field of view, that the walls around him _were_ white, and that the bedspread below him really _was_ pink.

But it was futile at times. Because the memory of all those beautiful colours which he had once taken for granted still burned fresh in his mind.

Yet slowly… slowly and surely, they were fading away. The memories were slowly becoming his reality.

Sasuke closed his eyes again, trying to grasp onto the memory of being at a festival with Naruto, Sakura and Kakashi. There were fireworks and so many colours… and… and warmth. He shivered a little and wrapped his thin arms around his slender frame, as if it would help to keep some heat radiating through his body.

"Freeze… like me," he whispered to no one in particular, before he forced his mind to shut down and allow him a moment of peaceful respite.

* * *

**Rice-Ball247: **So... I wonder if there are still people who read this. It was a little hard to start writing on this chapter. I had less than half of it written up, originally, then I didn't like it, changed it, and after a while I eventually lost interest. Then whenever I felt like writing it, I either had a problem with the files on my computer, or my computer was chock full of viruses (6200 ) and the cycle continued. 

But then I decided to just start on this again and the rest of it came spewing out. If anyone's wondering, I started writing the rest of it at around the end of Sasuke's POV. For those who are really perceptive, you might have noticed a slight change in my writing style, you might have not.

I've been hanging around the Harry Potter fandom a lot too, so I apologize for the use of 'poncy' but it just seemed to fit when I thought of 'Princess' Sasuke (poncy: think Draco Malfoy) and... I think that's about it. Gods, I can't believe I was about 14/4 months when I updated this last and it's already 2008! .

Sorry. If anyone's interested, I was in the 9th grade last time I updated. I'm in my first year of being a senior (11th) now.


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